Requesting for the Same System (Linked Requests)

Requested products and services are often functionally interconnected. For instance, additional hardware, software or services are requested for a workstation. In the area of requesting, these mutual functional relations are expressed by linking of requests.

The usefulness of requests linking especially stands out in the following scenario:

1. A new system has been requested.
2. While the request is still in fulfillment, additional items functionally related to the system are requested.

If the system had already been delivered and registered, the additional items would be requested for the system, i.e. the system would be selected in the 'System' shopping cart field. In the scenario above, the system cannot be selected yet.

Valuemation requesting resolves the situation with the following logic:

• If the current user already has an existing system (i.e. another system) assigned, the system is pre-filled for the request.
• If the current user has no existing system assigned, the application examines whether the user has requested a new system. If that is the case, a dialog window asking for a possible relation between the requests gets displayed.

  

• If the answer is 'Yes', the two requests are linked. If the answer is 'No', system selection will be required for the new request.

Requests Grouping versus linking

Linked requests are also automatically grouped together. For instance, if in the scenario above the first request belonged to a request group called 'Docu Dept', then the linked request would automatically be assigned the same group.

Note, however, that linking and grouping of requests are two different things. Linking is performed by the application on the basis of identified functional relations between the requested items, grouping is done by the user on the basis of his or her arbitrary needs.

The grouping applied by the application in parallel with linking can be modified or removed with no effect on the linking itself.

Direct creation of a linked request

It is possible to directly create a new request linked to the system of a previously created request:

1. In catalog 'My Submitted Requests', right-click a "source" requests. i.e. a request for the system to which the new request should also be linked.
2. Select context menu item 'Create Related Request' and choose action 'For the Same System'.
3. The Service Request Shop gets opened. Use it to specify and submit the request. The request will automatically be made for the system selected in step 1. The new request and the "source" request will be linked and also automatically grouped.